"Humans of Södertälje" project echoes New York

"I don't know what happens in the future. I just know that I have this umbrella now." Photo taken by Rodolfo Alvarez for his Humans of Södertälje project

A project in the world of culture is focusing on collecting the stories of men and women in the Stockholm suburb of Södertälje. The project is a Swedish spin-off of an internet sensation and best-selling book called Humans of New York, aiming to document thousands of that city's residents.

Each entry includes a photo of the person, and then a short story or observation they tell. But this summer, Rodolfo Alvarez and a friend of his started up Humans of Södertälje with portraits of people in that Stockholm suburb, also known for its diversity.

Alvarez told Radio Sweden that he was inspired by the project started in New York.

"Södertälje is my hometown and one of the most cultural cities in northern Europe where histories from all over the world combine here, so I wanted to do the same here," he said. "So I took my camera and went out and took pictures of people who were surprisingly keen to be in front of the camera and tell stories about themselves."